Machine for corrugating fibrous webs



g 1954 E. R. FREDERICK MACHINE FOR CORRUGATING FIBROUS WEBS Filed Oct.29, 1952 INVENTOR Edward [E .Hederz'clf Patented Aug. 10, 1954 MACHINEFOR CORRUGATING FIBROUS E WBS Edward R. Frederick, Pittsburgh, Pa.,assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretaryof the Army Application October 29, 1952, Serial No. 317,441

10 Claims. 1

This invention relates to machines for corrugating fibrous webs. Themachine of the invention is partly disclosed but not claimed ,in thepending joint application of Michael C. Jaskowski and myself, Serial No.167,614, filed June 12, 1950, entitled Corrugated Fibrous Battings andMethod.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine ofsimple construction which will automatically form corrugations in wooland other fibrous webs or batts. The corrugated wool batts formed by themachine, when subjected to further processing as explained in saidpending application, provide fibrous fillers desirable for cold climategarment fillers, being sufficiently durable to withstand extendedservice without substantial deterioration due to fiexure or compression.The advantages of products of the machine are explained in said pendingapplication and need not be elaborated here.

Another object is to provide a machine which is easily adjusted ormodified to handle different webs or batts and to make corrugations ofvarious depths and widths therein. Other objects of the invention willbe apparent from the following description of the preferred embodimentof the invention which is shown in the accompanying drawings forming apart of this specification.

In said drawings,

Fig. l is a perspective view of the working parts of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the same, on a large scale;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section, on

line 33 of Fig. 2 and on thesame scale;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross section on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showing inaddition a batting, and a support or table; and

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-4 of Fig. 2, on the scale, of Fi 4.

Referring particularly to the drawings, the illustrative machine issupported on top of a table It] or the like and has a drive shaft Hrotatable in two aligned bearings orpillow blocks l2, l3 fixed to thetable. The means for driving shaft ll may be a motor-driven belt andpulley (not shown) or any other convenient source of power. Also fixedto the top of the table are a pair of cam supports each consisting of anupright angle bar [5 bolted to the table and a horizontal sleeve bearing16 bolted to the angle bar l5,'said sleeve bearing being provided with acentral bore ll loosely receiving the shaft and a counterbore I8receiving a cam l9.- A set screw 20 secures each cam l9 against rotationin the counterbore. If

preferred, counterbore it maybe superseded by a recess of polygonalcross section in which a complementally-shaped cam will fit, therebyobviating rotation. The angle bars each have a bore 2| through which theshaft passes, while each cam has a central bore 22 aligned with bores I!and 2 I, so that the shaft extends through and is rotatable in anglebars I5, sleeve bearings I6 and cams 19, as well as the pillow blocksI2, l3.

Fixed to and preferably integral with shaft H is a cylindrical roll 25having radial, equally spaced slots 26 extending throughout its length,eight slots being shown in the illustrative embodiment. Received in eachslot is a blade 21 having a flexible lip at its outer edge and a stiffmetal body at its inner edge. Windshield wiper blades may be used,especially if slightly modified to withstand rubbing contact with thecams as will be explained. Coil tension springs 28 are housed in crossor diametral bores 29 in the roll and are attached at each end to theinner edge of a windshield wiper blade; each spring being at suchtension as to hold the two blades to which it is attached within thecorresponding housing slots 26. Thus all the blades are constantlypulled inwardly radially so that their inner metallic edges contact theperipheries of stationary cams It at all times. As shown in Fig. 4, thecams it have spiral edges 30 and have a lift or throw proportioned tothe height or depth of the corrugations to be formed by the blades. Atthe end of each spiral edge there is a radial cam surface 3| whichpermits the blades to retract suddenly within their respective slotsunder the pull of springs 28 at the desired moment of the cycle ofoperation. Obviously the angular positions of the cams may be changed,which will modify the cycle of the blades. Thus in Fig. 4 the blades areshown retracted before reaching the vertical position at the bottom ofthe roll; by shifting the cams slightly, the blades may be retractedlater, for example. This adjustment is desirable for accommodating themachine to different operating conditions. Also the illustrated cams maybe superseded by cams having a greater or less throw.

In one form of the invention the outer flexible edges of the blades wereabout in. apart, measured circumferentially, to form corrugations aboutin. in height; for higher corrugations, greater spacing of the outerblade edges is required. A top plate '35, preferably a flat plate ofPlexiglas or metal, is supported parallel to table 10 on the dischargeside of the machine, preferably by means of a frame (not shown) and.

will be spaced about in. above the top of the table if corrugations ofabout in. height are desired. The end 36 of plate is beveled and is setvery close to the periphery of the roll to make certain the web or battwill pass under the plate and not be carried around the roll. The bladescan not strikethe beveled plateend 36 because they are retracted bysprings 2B'due to the location of radial cam surfaces 3!. A fol lowerbar (as shown) may be slidable on the table top and may be pushed underplate- 35 by the, corrugated batt as it is formed and moved along. thetable, thus offering resistance to the batt and effecting compacting ofthe corrugations.

As the batt B (shown as four plies or webs) is fed from the doffer ofthe carding machine (not shown), toward the machine of theinvention thebatt is picked up by the nearest blade}? (which is projected) and ismoved along under the machine. The edge of the blade presses firmlyintothe batt. When the-blade is with-. drawn in its slot, the formedcorrugation passes under the topplate 35 where it is retained byfriction until moved along by the succeeding corrugations. Thecorrugated portion of the batt provides the resistance which isessential to buckle the batt to form the individual corrugations.Initially, that is before there is a corrugated batt end to provide thenecessary resistance, a follower bar (ashshown) is placed onthe forwardend of the batt beyond the ccrrugator, andsaid bar is pushed alonguntilit reaches the end of the frame on the table, when it mayberemoved. For each revolution of the roll six inches (8 x A") of thebattiscorrugated; hence if the batt is fed to the corrugator at about 48F. P. the roll must be rotated about 9%} R; P. M; i To preventthefibersfromadhering to the blades and/or slots, it has been founddesirable, and at times necessary, tovibrate the roll end of the topplate 3 5 vertically through an arc of about A; in. at a frequency ofabout-120 vibrations per minute. Obviously several well known mechanismsmay be used to effect such vibration. In lieu of the follower barmentioned above, experiments show that a canvas (or-similar roughsurfaced)- belt fixed to the table-top to serve-as-a flat base plate-andextendingfrom the roll part way to the end of said frame will offersufdcientfriotional resistance to--cause a wool batt'to buckle-and 'formcorrugations with out adherence to the b1ades-and/or-slots.-- Thiscanvas belt-will =be=understood without illustra-- tion.

The described apparatus-has worked perfect, lyon carded cotton, nylonand wool, and-doubt? less will workon other textile batts of natural,synthetic and.semiesyntheticfibers and fiber mixtures.

What! claim is:

1. A machine forcorrugating loose batts of fibrous material comprising apower-driven cy-- lindrical roll means supporting the roll for ro--tation about a horizontal axis; plural batt-cor rugating means-carriedon and extending lengthwise of the roll and having relatively soft-outeredges extendable beyond: the periphery of A the roll andretractiblelwithinthe confinesof the roll; means associated. withtheroll toeflectlautomatic extension andi retraction. of isaidbattecorrugatingzmeans as .the. roll rotates; andvfixed-fiat. batt-supportingmeans supporting the batt .as; it I approaches the roll, as; itpasses.under, said roll,- and: as ,it is moved; away therefrom 11113 corru:gated ,c ondition,- .said batt-supporting .means;

providing an anvil against which the batt-cor= rugating means work.

2. lhe invention defined in claim 1, wherein fixed means is providedwith an edge so located as to prevent the corrugated batt from clingingto and moving around with the rotating roll, said fixed meansralsoconfining the corrugated batt as it moves over the fixed batt-supportingmeans away from the roll.

3. A machine for corrugating loose batts of fibrous materialcomprising apower-driven roll; means supporting the roll for rotation; said rollhaving a plurality of longitudinally extending radialg slots;- aplurality of batt-corrugating member each having a relatively soft outeredge and each of which is movable radially in one of said slotsL meansassociated with the roll to effect automatic projection of saidcorrugating members'beyond the periphery of the roll and then retractionof said corrugating members as the roll rotatesyandfixed batt-supportingmeans supporting the batt as it approaches the roll, as it passes underthe roll, and as-it moves-awaytherefrom in acorrugated condition; said-batt-, supporting means providing an anvil against which thebatt-corrugating members Work 4. A machine for corrugating loose battsof fibrous material comprisinga power drivenroll; means supportingtheroll 'for' rotation;- saidroll having a plurality of longitudinallyextending radial-slots; a plurality of corrugatingmembers each havinga'relatively soft outer edge and each of which ismovable radially inone-of said slots; fixed cams associated with the .roll and operatingsaid corrugatinglmembers toproject them beyond the-periphery of theroll; spring means to retract the corrugating members during eachrotation ofthe roll; and fixed batt-supporting means supporting thebatt-as. it approaches the a roll, as it passes underthe roll, and asitmoves means and-spaced-therefrom such a distance that the tops of thecorrugations-contact the under surface of-the' plate as thecorrugated-batt moves away from the roll, said plate having a bevelededge very close .to the-periphery oi the roll to prevent the batt fromclinging to therotating roll -sa-id spring means retracting: the

corrugating members so that they donot strike the beveled "edge 'oftheplate.

6. A- maohine for-corrugating -loose batts of fibrous materialcomprising apower-driven -roll; means-supporting the roll for: rotation;said'iroll having a plurality of longitudinally: extending radialslotspaplurality of blades received: individua1ly.in., said: slot's, eachblade4 having: a relativelysoft batt-frcont'acting hp at. its outer edge and.each; being :movablew radially in. its: slot. so that-its-liplprojectsrbeyondithe periphery of the rollrduringl each"rotationiofithesroll cam means associated .withtharol-l JtOi effectprojection oi:- the blade edgesrespring means associated with Y, theroll to1efiectt 1etractioneoig the severa l bladesp in-,co.-.onerationrwithtxsaidgcam' means, during. each :rotation; of the-groin. ancilfixedbatt+supeport n m ans; suppo ;lt avb tt.-. as it ap -v, proa h srt e 1;110. as i passes under. the .rolL. ndl ss-it igs m0vedl,awaye h e rmxinl a :CO TLH-r 1 eatedtconditi nldibattrsupnortineameanspro-1:

viding an anvil against which the batt-corrugating means works.

7. The invention defined in claim 6, wherein the blades each includemetallic parts which continuously contact the cam means, and a flexibleresilient projecting lip of rubber-like material which contacts the battwith its outer edge.

8. The invention defined in claim 6, wherein there are an even number ofslots in the roll arranged at regular intervals so that the blades arein diametrically opposite pairs, and the spring means are coil springshoused in diametric bores in the roll, each coil spring being undertension and connected at opposite ends to two diametrically oppositeblades.

9. The invention defined in claim 6, wherein the cam means projectWithin the ends of the roll; and cam-supporting means hold the camsnormally immovable, said cams and cam-supporting means being constructedand arranged so that each cam may be turned angularly relative to theaxis of rotation of the roll and then fixed, thereby to vary the time orcycle of movement of the blades in and out of theirvslots.

10. The invention defined in claim 6, wherein the fixed batt-supportingmeans is a flat table top and there is a flat plate held spaced abovethe table top to confine the corrugated batt as it moves away from theroll, said fiat plate having a beveled edge adjacent the roll so as toprevent the batt from traveling around with the roll after corrugation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,617,018 Federhart Feb. 8, 1927 1,989,293 Sandberg Jan. 29,1935 2,514,801 Sapp July 11, 1950 2,553,017 Sterner May 15, 1951

